14 Memorable State of the Union moments

As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver tonight's State of the Union address, look back at the many memorable moments in State of the Union addresses through the years.

1941: FDR's 'Four Freedoms' -- One of the most memorable State of the Union moments is President Franklin D. Roosevelt's declaration of the "Four Freedoms" in his 1941 State of the Union -- the freedom from want, the freedom from fear, the freedom of speech and the freedom of worship.

1964: LBJ Declares War on Poverty -- In his first State of the Union, just two months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson called for an unconditional war on poverty. It involved a extensive set of interrelated programs regarding health care, urban centers in Appalachia and more.

1974: Nixon is Defiant -- Amid the Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon declares one year of the scandal to be "enough." His voice trembling, at one point he means to say, "we must replace the discredited welfare system," but instead says, "we must replace the discredited president."

1982: Skutnik Steals the Show -- President Ronald Reagan begins the traditional of honoring guests at the State of the Union, turning to the House Gallery and recognizing Lenny Skutnik as a hero. Skutnik jumped into the waters of the Potomac River to help rescue the survivors of an airplane crash.

1986: Tragedy Causes Delay -- For the first time, the State of the Union address is delayed after the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up shortly after lift-off on the day the speech was scheduled.

1994: Clinton Teleprompter Malfunction -- President Bill Clinton's first State of the Union address in 1994 could have been a disaster when the teleprompter malfunctioned. But he quickly recovered and delivered the speech from memory, joking "I'm not at all sure what speech is in the teleprompter tonight, but I hope we can talk about the State of the Union."

1996: Clinton Declares End to Big Government -- Referring to Democrats' heavy losses in the 1994 midterm election, President Bill Clinton says the era of big government is over and that he's "moving to the center."

2002: Bush's 'Axis of Evil' -- In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, President George W. Bush goes before Congress and introduces the concept of an "Axis of Evil," comprised of Iraq, Iran and North Korea. He accuses the nations of helping terrorists and seeking weapons of mass destruction.

2002: Karzai is Recognized -- In 2002, Afghan's then-interim leader Hamid Karzai comes to Washington as President George W. Bush's guest at the State of the Union.

2003: Bush's 16 Words -- President George W. Bush outlines his justification for invading Iraq, uttering 16 words that would later come back to haunt him. Bush claims that, "the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." The accuracy of those words would be debated for years, and launched a Justice Department investigation after a covert CIA agent was outed.

2009: 'You Lie!' -- It is a State of the Union address in everything but name when Rep. Joe Wilson interrupts President Barack Obama during a September 2009 speech before Congress. As Obama was saying health care reform would not cover illegal immigrants, Wilson shouts, "You lie!" Amid gasps in the Senate chamber, Obama responds, "That's not true."

2010: Obama and Alito Clash -- When President Barack Obama criticizes a landmark Supreme Court campaign finance decision, the camera shows Justice Samuel Alito shaking his head and suggesting what Obama was saying was not true. Some later thought the remarks were rude of Obama.

2011: Tucson Shooting Remembered -- The family of Christina Taylor Green, the youngest victim of the shooting in Tucson just weeks earlier, is recognized at the 2011 State of the Union. Also attending is Mark Kelly, the husband of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot, and the intern who was credited with saving Giffords' life, Daniel Hernandez.

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